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> It's called mirroring. People often do it unconsciously when the connect with others. I wanted to respond to both. It's not a stretch to argue that in certa
by burner420042 3y ago
> It's called mirroring. People often do it unconsciously when the connect with others.
I wanted to respond to both.
It's not a stretch to argue that in certain cases the person is mirroring because they're insecure. Empathy as a defense mechanism?
I mention it because back in college there were a few times where I witnessed a person mimicking an exchange student's accent almost immediately, and later claiming this always happened to them. Both were painfully insecure.
- trimethylpurine 3y agoI think it's more likely that a lot of people just happen to be insecure, without any causal relation to mirroring. Sharing inflection, accent, and mannerisms yields a wealth of context that aids both the listener and the speaker in acquiring detailed insight about one another's culture, language, and meaning. I suspect that people who don't mirror might sadly be unaware of these subtle but rich details, even in their own communication.